Chapter Six: Surprises All Around
"What?! A test of our Quirks?!"
The majority of the newly assembled class exclaimed as one as their teacher laid out his plan for them, Danny excluded.
He had actually looked forward to the fact that they were going to be gaging power differences with a test with a machine guiding them or something. With the way this world worked, it seemed like the best bet. And he looked forward to maybe hopefully finding out how his power scaled against the rest of the class.
But, with Aizawa going into a more detailed expression of the numerous physical exercises they would be doing, the halfa felt his own excitement drop a little at the physical exercise that sounded like it would take most of the day.
But, the way they were currently dressed, Danny felt he shouldn't have been surprised.
All of the class was now decked out in red, white and blue of the UA gym uniforms, which sported frontside U and A letter designs that synced with the connection white bars that traced around the arms and legs.
The uniforms fit like a casual t-shirt and sweatpants, allowing more mobility and movement for any exercises that the teacher had planned. Which was good, given that their teacher had run down enough of the exercises to make him feel like they could be there for a WHILE, much to the enthusiasm of Danny's ghost aching legs.
And he wasn't the only one who felt that way.
"What about the Entrance Ceremony?!" The heartbroken voice of the brown haired girl, who Danny had learned was named Uraraka Ochako, called out. She clenched her hands in obvious worry and sadness. "Or guidance sessions?!"
"No time to waste on that stuff if you want to become heroes." Aizawa replied without missing a beat.
A wave of shock ran through the class as the shaggy haired man lazily traced a circle with his foot in the middle of the training grounds. He didn't look angered or concerned about their reactions in the least.
That made the halfa hesitant. Years of dealing with Casper High teachers that couldn't really give an ounce of effort towards the students gave him a sense of frustration towards people like that. And he hoped this teacher wouldn't be the same.
Danny raised a hand. "Won't skipping out on the Entrance Ceremony get us in trouble? It's a class event, right?"
"The school knows how I operate," Aizawa said, not even glancing back at the halfa. "The Entrance Ceremony is not important. This is. Especially if you all hope to be pros one day." He finished up his circle and cast a tired glance back at his students. "You've all heard that UA is known for its 'freestyle' education system. That applies for us teachers as well. We can run a class as we see fit."
Immediately, a second wave of shock fell upon the students once more. Danny blinked twice.
He honestly didn't think that there were ANY schools that allowed the teachers to basically do whatever they wanted. There was always a schedule in mind. Something that kept the classes linked. At least that's how it was at both Casper High and Kaizen.
Now, faced with the idea that this man (Danny assumed a pro of some kind) had free reign to teach them whatever he wanted, Danny felt a little bit of his hesitance slip away. If the school was so free form that it would amount to basically learning everything you could from a pro at work, one who UA apparently trusted enough to know that he would skip the ceremony and LET him do that, the halfa was curious about what he could learn from this man.
And, as the atmosphere settled away from shock and more towards curiosity, it was clear his classmates were thinking the same thing.
"Free form teaching, huh?" Kirishima asked with a smile from Danny's side. "Sounds badass! Means he can focus on training us the way he wants! And how we want to be trained!" He smashed his hardened fists together in excitement. "Bring it on!"
"It's definitely better than how Kaizen went about things," Sero said, crossing his arms as he smiled. "UA was DEFINITELY the right choice here."
"Oh, one-hundred percent," Danny agreed, keeping his gaze on their teacher. "I just hope that this Aizawa guy has a good way of teaching us."
"It's UA, Fenton," Sero replied with a carefree smile. "They wouldn't let him teach unless he had a solid plan in teaching."
And, as if in response to the questioning at hand (or maybe he DID actually hear it. Danny couldn't be sure what kind of powers he had), Aizawa turned back to the class, his exhausted eyes affixing to them with a casual indifference.
He held up his hand and slowly counted off with his fingers as he talked. "Softball throwing, the standing long jump, the fifty meter dash, endurance running, grip strength, side-to-side stepping, upper body training, seated toe touch. You all did these in middle school, yes? Your standard no-quirks-allowed gym tests."
No one denied his words. And Aizawa continued.
"This country still insists on prohibiting Quirks when calculating the average of those records. It's not rational. The department of education is just procrastinating." His eyes locked forward. "Bakugo. How far could you throw in middle school?"
Immediately, the spiky haired blonde who had stared murderous daggers at Danny before stepped forward from the crowd, his red pupils still fuming with almost a casual anger.
"Sixty-seven meters." Bakugo answered with a growl.
"Great." Aizawa replied with the enthusiasm of getting a tooth pulled. He tossed a small ball to the blonde as he centered himself at the center of the white circle. "Now try it with your Quirk. Do whatever you need to. Just don't leave the circle. Give it all you've got."
As the red eyed boy smiled at that news, Danny felt his eyes widen a bit. A gym class with powers totally allowed? This was definitely new.
"Awesome." Bakugo voiced his obvious excitement at the news as well and, without wasting a moment, cocked his arm back and launched the ball forward with a ferocity that fit well with him, from what Danny had seen.
"DIE!"
Suddenly, at the same time his arm threw forward, there was a loud crack and boom that ripped through the air at the same moment an intense bout of heat did. A line of smoke and flames traced where his arm travelled at the same moment the ball was released, shooting it forward with so much momentum, Danny could have blinked and missed it for how fast it was going.
Immediately, a flash of cold entered the halfa's blood and he immediately felt tense. He even felt his heartbeat quicken slightly and his breathing labor, like he just ran really fast and stopped suddenly. But that reaction wasn't what occupied his mind at the moment.
He can throw EXPLOSIONS?! Danny thought incredulously as the blonde boy lowered his smoking hand.
"That is an AWESOME Quirk." Kirishima muttered, a smile of appreciation on his expression.
As the smoke and dust settled, Aizawa slowly held up a beeping device held within his hand, which now displayed a bright green 705.2 m, far surpassing Bakugo's previous score.
The blonde smirked before turning back to join his class, affixing Danny with another burning glare as he did so, though this one wasn't out of anger. More like he was proud to show off his abilities. ESPECIALLY to Danny.
Seriously, what the heck is his deal?
"It's important for us to know our limits," The tired teacher explained. "That's the first rational step to figuring out what kind of heroes you'll be."
"Whoa! Over seven-hundred?!" Kirishima said with a pump of his fist. "That's crazy!"
"That looks so fun!" Ashido exclaimed from their right, her smile as wide as ever. "I want to try!"
Danny, putting his lingering thoughts aside, felt himself smile at the enthusiasm around him and the idea of basically doing a gym test with his ghost abilities, which he never imagined he would ACTUALLY be doing. "I actually haven't used my powers for a test like this before! It does look really fun."
Aizawa fixed them all with a cold glare that could have frozen over a wildfire.
"… Fun, you say?" He said in a tone that pushed away any exhaustion he had previously had and replaced it with dead seriousness. "You're hoping to become heroes after three years here… and you think it'll be all fun and games?" A deathly silence settled over the aspiring heroes as their teacher's glare hardened even further. "Right. The one with the lowest score across all eight events will be judged hopeless and will be expelled."
Silence fell HARD on the entirety of the class. And, all at once, they exclaimed. "WHAAAA?!"
Danny felt his first sprout of enthusiasm wither away, replaced with a mix of anxiousness. He had finally made it into UA, began his path onto what he hoped to be, what he could do to make everyone proud… and now he had the chance to lose it? He didn't know what half of this class's powers were. He didn't even know he could properly match them.
And the halfa felt his stress rise.
Around him, his classmates tried to process this information. Some were flabbergasted and speechless, like Sero and Kirishima. Others, like Tsu and the tall black haired girl, looked unsurprised by the news (though Danny couldn't be entirely sure if that was just Tsu's natural expression for most things). And, others, especially Midoryia, looked on the edge of having a heart attack.
"T-The lowest score will be expelled…?" Uraraka repeated in frustration and fear. "It's only the first day! I mean, even if it weren't… that's totally unfair!"
There was no sympathy from their teacher. Only a sigh. "Natural disasters, highway pileups, rampaging villains. Calamity is always right around the corner. I'd say Japan is full of unfair things." He fixed his hair absentmindedly, but the look in his eyes shifted from one of frustration to one of expectancy. "Heroes are the ones who correct all that unfairness. If you were hoping to spend your evenings hanging out at McDonald's, I'm sorry to tell you that, for the next three years, UA will run you through the ringer. THAT'S Plus Ultra. Use your strength to overcome it all." A small smile stretched across his expression as he beckoned the class forward with his finger. "So bring it."
"He's right…" Danny said aloud before he could stop himself. And, with a start, he realized the entirety of the class was now looking at him. Immediately, he coughed. No use turning back now. "I mean… he's right. There's no way any villain is going to fight fair. We have to prepare for the unexpected, because they're probably going to throw every trick they have at us to get away."
Flashes of understanding crossed most of their expressions. Some had more interest. And Danny almost squirmed. Since when did he get this much attention? He almost regretted coming in first.
"At least some of you are starting to get the sense of it," Aizawa muttered before turning. "Let's not waste any more time. Follow me to the first test location."
As the entirety of the class made their way forward, Danny couldn't help but feel slightly self-conscious. He was more aware than ever that he had to watch what he said at times and worried what he said might have been too much. Did his other classmates suspect him? Maybe not of being from another reality, but of vigilante work?
Did he accidently reveal himself in the most stupid way possible?
His thoughts were shattered as a palm slapped his shoulder.
"Here's hoping neither of us get paired with the strongest person in the class," Sero joked. "I would kind of hate to make a first impression by losing and… getting kicked out, you know?"
Realizing with a start that the class didn't really spare a second thought towards his words, the halfa felt himself smile. He had almost forgotten that this class was used to villain talk and all. They lived in a hero society, after all.
"Well, our focus should be on not coming in last," Danny replied. "It doesn't matter if we win or lose. We just have to make sure we stay above the last place position. You and I have come too far to let it end right now, right?"
"Then we don't come in last," Sero said with a nod. "No matter what, we go with the flow and at our best, right? Same goes for now."
Danny nodded back in agreement, but felt a wry smile tug at his lips. "We say that, but how come I feel like that's going to be a lot easier said than done."
As Sero chuckled, Danny shifted his thoughts to the classmates he hadn't met yet and what capabilities they had. Chances were that there was going to be someone with a power that could leave him in the dust. And he couldn't risk losing his position at UA. Not after everything he had been through.
Doesn't matter if it's just a test, Danny thought, flexing his arms. I've got to pour everything I have into these exercises to make sure I keep ahead. I don't know where I am power wise against anyone here.
That thought left a lot of lingering nervousness in Danny, but he clenched his fist. Regardless of anything else, he would keep climbing up. And he would make sure he held onto his chance with everything he had.
…
Event One: Fifty-Meter Dash
The moment they were separated into pairs by their teacher, Danny knew they were in for an interesting time.
The pairings were not ones that Danny would have guessed at, like Tsu going against Iida for the first round and seeing the pairing of Midoriya and Bakugo, who both looked less than pleased with the arrangement.
Danny didn't know anything about Midoryia's Quirk, but it sounded like it was more super strength against Bakugo's explosions, which Danny was betting could propel him forward and give him an easy win. The same thought ran through his head when thinking about how fast Tsu was able to move at a moment's notice. He didn't think there was a power that could beat her at her current speed.
But he also didn't know anything about Iida and Midoryia's Quirks, so he knew there may be a lot more competition to this than he was seeing. The Entrance Exam had definitely taught him that much.
And, based on his current partner, he knew that he couldn't assume he could win either.
The halfa had been paired with the white haired masked boy he had seen in the classroom before. And he was a LOT more intimidating up close then Danny could have imagined.
His look gave him a bulk like Skulker, with six massive muscled arms attached to webs of skin and stretching out the sides of his upper torso, giving him a towering muscular build that made Danny a bit nervous to talk to him.
He had his ghost powers and all, but he still felt like one wrong word could be all it would take for this guy to crush him like a soda can.
But Danny didn't have to worry about that for the moment as everyone's attention turned to the lining up forms of Tsu and Iida, who each took their place on either end of the two running tracks.
As the rest of the class looked on in excitement, the two set off against each other in an instant.
And, even faster than an instant, Danny found his assumptions about how the race would go thrown out completely.
With a burst of speed, Iida matched and exceeded the speed of Tsu's first spring boarded hop, taking the lead within a matter of moments as a groan of energy propelled the bespectacled boy forward.
Okay, Danny thought to himself as Iida's never breaking run carried him across the finish line with a burst of air. Iida's thing is definitely speed.
"3.04 seconds!" The robotic voice of the speed counter at the end of the track announced as smoke leaked from, what Danny realized with shock, were silver exhaust pipes on the back of Iida's calves.
They were still humming.
"How the heck…?" Danny wondered aloud as Tsu, with one final hop, crossed the finish line and landed with a kick of her leg strength.
"5.58 seconds!" The speed reader called out.
Tsu nodded with her readless expression at the score and both her and Iida returned to the 1-A grouping, all while Danny looked on in shock and surprise.
I know these powers were going to be odd in some places, The halfa thought as both Ochako and the blonde boy with a tail took their places at the beginning of the track. But engines in his literal legs? Does he need gas?
He decided it would be in his best interest not to ask that to Iida and instead turned back to the two new racers.
Danny's mind was BITING with curiosity to see what the rest of the classes Quirks were. And, based on the fact that Uraraka was reaching down to the pads of her shoes and tapping them with a glowing pink energy, he knew he would be getting a proper display of what everyone could do throughout this Quirk exam course.
A moment later, they were off, charging towards the finish line as she kept surprising pace with the tail man, her movements rapid and speedy as she kept pretty light on her feet.
They kept neck-and-neck with each other as they both crossed the finish line, with the meter bot declaring a proud "7.15 seconds!"
It was nowhere near as good as what the last racers got, but Uraraka looked happy at her score, smiling as she pressed her fingers together as she did so.
Danny watched as the girl's gym uniform slinked slightly with that motion and he felt realization hit him harder than Vlad on why she was able to move so quickly.
"She must have been able to lighten herself with her Quirk," Danny noted aloud as the two stepped off the tracks. "But is that because she can do something with clothes…? Or…"
"It's Zero Gravity!" The cheerful exclamation of Midoriya called out beside the ghost boy, startling him. "She can use the pads on her fingers to reduce the weight of an object and make it weightless! She applied that to her clothes and shoes and allowed herself a faster running speed by allowing herself to become weightless! It's such a good application of her Quirk! If that was applied to an object of greater force, like a car, she should be able to move it with little effort!"
Danny, taking a moment to try and absorb the ball of information Midoryia dropped on him, chuckled. "Wow… um, thanks Midoryia. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one interested in class Quirks."
Midoryia jumped and a nervous smile broke out over his expression. "W-well, it's interesting to consider what everyone is capable of. And what kind of heroes everyone's going to be." He blushed. "S-studying heroes is a hobby of mine. I can't help but get interested in what Quirks everyone has."
"…You know, if you just said that you were interested in Uraraka, I'd get it, right?"
Instantly, Midoryia's face exploded into red. "What?! I-it's not that, I s-swear! I didn't…!"
"Relax, Midoryia," The halfa replied in between laughs, happy he was able to wield Sero's own teasing against someone else. "It was a joke." He straightened. "But I do get it. I've always had an interest in heroes too. And I never really thought people would take me seriously in that interest… until recently."
He had a fleeting thought that Midoryia may question him further, but instead, the green haired regarded him for a moment, almost like he was trying to carefully choose what to say next before he nervously nodded, clenching his palms. "I-it was the same for me in some ways. I didn't think I could really be a hero either, until I was given my chance. And… I want to make sure I don't waste that!"
Midoryia said with an enthusiasm Danny didn't expect from his nervous expression. And the halfa was a bit shocked to see an even more fierce enthusiasm within his green eyes.
This guy was definitely someone Danny felt wouldn't stop moving towards his goal. And he felt a certain kinship with that.
However, before he could think of what to say next, he noticed Aizawa's pointing expression centered on him.
He was up.
"Well," Danny said as he stood and brushed himself off, smiling at his classmate. "Not wasting our chance is something else we can both agree on, Midoryia. And I think we're both at the right place for that," As the halfa moved forward to line up along the racing lines, he waved back to the green haired boy. "Looking forward to seeing you and your Quirk in action!"
"T-thank you!" Midoryia called back. "I look forward to seeing yours!"
And, as Danny moved forward and away, he missed the trace of another nervous mutter from Midoryia. "My Quirk in action…?!"
…
Lining up alongside his racing partner gave the halfa a distinct sense of deja vu. And not in a good way.
Feeling the hard floor of the racetrack brush against the soles of his shoes while looking at the massive build of pure muscle beside him gave him flashbacks to when Flash and his cronies basically lapped Danny without breaking a sweat during PE. It wasn't the most pleasant memory to look back on in the moment, but his mind seemed focused on making that his priority regardless.
Danny mentally took a breath and redirected his own train of thought as he locked his gaze forward and away from his opponent, concentrating on his bubbling energy.
This race is going to be a little different than at Casper High, The halfa thought confidently. Doesn't matter what his Quirk is or what he says. This time, I'm going to win.
"Shoji Mezou."
Danny stopped. And he looked beside him to see the black irises of his masked opponent regarding him, paired with a rising tentacle outfitted with a mouth.
Shock at his Quirk aside, Danny slightly blanked.
"… I'm sorry?" The halfa asked in genuine confusion.
"I saw that you were a bit unsure how to approach me," The large armed individual said, turning his eyes back to the track. "So I wanted to introduce myself first to get rid of the uncertainty. Shoji Mezou is my name."
Danny felt dumbfounded for a moment. He had expected this massive muscle made guy to be arrogant, like most of the other muscled people he had encountered at Casper High. With maybe a few worse attributes, seeing how he had multiple arms and extra strength at his disposal.
A cordial, well mannered greeting was not what the ghost boy had expected at all.
"… Fenton." Danny answered after a moment. "Fenton Danny."
Shoji nodded as he and Danny crouched to get in a racing pose. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." The halfa replied as he put his palms forward on the track surface. "I… kind of feel like an idiot now. I thought you would be a lot colder."
"It's okay. Most think that I'm a more distant type and I'm very much used to that assumption." His upper mouth smiled (which was a VERY odd sight for the halfa). "I just wanted to make sure you knew otherwise. Seeing as how we're racing, I wanted to make sure we were on good ground beforehand. Whatever may happen." He stretched out his arms. "Because I intend to use my full capabilities for this. I hope you do the same."
Danny smiled. And immediately, he built up his ghost energy again as he braced his arms against the floor. "Don't have to tell me twice."
A power to power match. It was definitely something he had looked forward to at UA.
He funneled the swirling energy up and across his body. And his pupils illuminated in the familiar green as he felt the build energy settle. At once, his muscles relaxed. And Danny felt himself slip into what still sent adrenaline coursing through his veins.
"I'm going ghost!"
As the countdown on the reader bot hit the second to last light, the illumination of the white light shined on his midsection and rapidly travelled up and across his body, outfitting his hair into it's famous snow white glow alongside the small outline of a glow across the entirety of his form. His UA outfit was emblazoned with black and white color. The once blue exterior of the gym uniform was replaced with a jet-black flow that travelled across both shirt and pants. And the white sections of the uniform took on a brighter glow then it ever had before.
All at once, Danny heard the shocked exclamations of the class as they witnessed this.
"Holy crap! What happened to his hair?!" The voice of the tall blonde boy called out.
"Did his Quirk just swap out his hair AND eye color?!" He heard Mina gush. "He looks so COOL!"
"The changing uniform color is new." Sero commented. "Or is he just showing off to the rest of us?"
"A Quirk that can change appearance on activation!" Midoryia rattled in excitement. "Is the entire transformation energy based?! Or is another factor of the Quirk changing his appearance?! Holy whoa, what kind of energy can transform a person in an instant like that?!"
Danny didn't respond. He couldn't really respond anyway, seeing as how his attention was now affixed to the race at hand. Beside him, Shoji gave him a once over in surprise, but said nothing. His eyes were also locked on the track in front of him, his muscles tensed in preparation.
The halfa matched that, funneling a good amount of his ghost energy to his legs. If his next move was going to work, he would definitely need it.
Then, the light dropped.
And Danny kicked off the ground in an instant, matching Shoji's own burst of movement as he surged forward at the same time.
The ghost boy didn't waste a moment, morphing his legs together in a mash of ghost energy and quickly producing the whipping form of his ghost tail. The change was instantaneous, shifting from kicking himself off the ground to being in flight and soaring across the track, closing the distance between himself and the tracking bot in a very short time.
Beside Danny, Shoji was in the midst of kicking up his fair amount of dust, racing down the track thanks to the swing of his massive arms. His speed was pretty shocking to Danny, since he had already cleared almost half the track out the gate. It was clear he had been training with his powers immensely.
But Danny was faster.
And that was confirmed as he zoomed past the finish line and was rewarded with the beep from the tracking bot.
"2.15 seconds!"
Danny halted his flight and turned, enthusiasm building as he took in his final score.
"Well, one thing's for sure," He commented as his legs popped out in place of his tail and he landed on the ground below. "I'm not getting last place in this race."
"5.12 seconds!"
The bot called out once more as Shoji crossed the line, coming to a stop in front of the halfa. There was no sadness or discouragement in his eyes. Instead, there was interest.
"I didn't know your Quirk was one that included speed, Fenton," Shoji said through one of his tentacle mouths. "That's impressive."
"Thank you," Danny replied with a smile as he stretched out his arms. "I'm just glad it still works like I remember it. Trust me, it wasn't easy to get used to it at first."
"YOUR TRAINING MUST BE TRULY RELIABLE IF IT ALLOWED YOU TO GAIN SUCH SPEED FROM YOUR QUIRK!"
"GAH! T-Thank you, Iida."
The bespectacled boy had shouted from the 1-A crowd, chopping the air with excitement as he beamed at Danny.
"When we have free time between studies, you must tell me your training strategies!" Iida continued. "One can never know too much when it comes to the regail of one's heroic potential!"
Danny blinked at the astonishing speed of the conversation. "I'll… think about it, Iida."
"First, Fenton, you should think about replacing your color." Came the tired voice of Aizawa as he approached, exhausted eyes looking over Danny. "Our color standard for the gym uniforms in this school is always the same. And I don't want to deal with any exceptions. Can you change it back?"
"Oh," Danny muttered, looking back down at his uniform. He briefly thought to mention he preferred black and white, but the eyes of his teacher looked VERY unpersuasive at the moment. Well, I have nothing against blue. "Yeah, I can change back."
With another flash of ghost energy, the UA uniform transitioned back to its regular colors, though his white hair and green eyes were still very much visible. And Aizawa nodded.
"That's all then. Return to your classmates." And with that, his teacher turned and walked back to his viewing spot on the side of the tracks.
"For someone who doesn't follow the school's way of doing things," Danny said quietly to himself as he made his way back to the group alongside Shoji. "You sure do pick your times to stick to the rules."
The ghost boy looked on at Aizawa, knowing that the school year was definitely going to be taking an interesting turn with him as their instructor.
But that thought didn't stay in his mind long, seeing as how his immediate thoughts were on the pure excitement of everyone as he went back to his classmates.
"What's up with that crazy Quirk?!" The shortest boy of the class, who had a triage of purple balls running across his scalp, cried. "Letting you transform your hair and eyes into cool colors like that?! You can change your looks to get any woman you want, you BASTARD!"
"Kero. Your speed is as impressive as ever, Fenton." Tsu commented. "But based on the fact that you were able to keep out of reach from the zero-pointer, it wasn't hard to guess the outcome of your score."
"That's how fast he normally is?!" Exclaimed the blonde haired boy near the short kid. "Sheesh. I knew I might have felt a little outclassed here, but this is something else."
"It's awesome is what it is!" Kirishima beamed.
"For sure! It's so flashy!" Bubbled a floating empty uniform (which Danny had to look again to make sure he was seeing that right.)
"No doubt!" Ashido added with a bounce. "All of that power and with the smarts to use it in such cool ways! You're such a badass, Fenton!"
"And all of that with just the energy stored in your Quirk!" Midoryia called louder than them all, Uraraka nodding enthusiastically at his side."To have it ecompess your body and enable both flight and transformation is amazing! At first, I thought it was some kind of solar energy and it was similar to Windup, the Solar Hero. But thinking about it, to have an energy that can do so much in such a short span of time, it can't be solar. Maybe more of a storage energy with a quick acting mumble mumble mumble…"
"It's not solar," Danny said, holding a hand up to stop Midoryia before his muttering got out of control. "It's my ghost energy. Something my powers produce on their own. And," He held out his palm and flared it up with , for the first time in a while, he didn't feel any self-doubt staring back at him amongst the green. "Something that I'm really glad to have."
"Jeez, pat your own back any longer and you'll leave a mark." Sero said with a smirk. And he quickly dodged Danny's incoming punch.
As the people around him enthused, the halfa remained unaware of the growing angry gaze of Bakugo as he glared on at his self-proclaimed rival, his fists clenching with sparks as he growled under his breath.
But those weren't the only pair of eyes fixated upon the ghost boy. The other, one of intense study, was from the prying hawk-like gaze of Fumikage Tokoyami
…
As Aizawa oversaw the reset of students against the lines and the prep for another race, the teacher couldn't help the incessant burn in his eyes once more.
One of the first feelings that Aizawa felt was annoyance as he reached for his eye drops. It was a routine at this point. He used his Quirk, pain followed. It was the price he paid.
And it did make him slightly more annoyed that he was paying for it even though it had ultimately led to nothing. But the fact that this particular usage of his Quirk DID lead to nothing gave him more curiosity then he cared to admit.
During the last race, he had actually attempted to shut down Fenton's Quirk when it became clear that it was changing the UA Gym Uniform colors. He thought it would be a good stepping stone towards showing his students how to properly respect what they had been given. And, based on how Fenton's ghost quirk seemed to work, it seemed, to the pro, one that could be targeted by his Erasure.
But that didn't turn out to be the case.
Aizawa had activated his Quirk on Fenton before the race had even begun, yet the ghost boy didn't falter. He had taken the initiative and ended up winning the race in the blink of an eye. Using the absolute full extent of his Quirk.
It annoyingly intrigued Aizawa. The white-haired kid's ghost powers didn't seem like a full heteromorphic type, given that he had the ability to turn it on and off.
Pretty much every mutant-class Quirk was something that was permanent, that they couldn't turn off. Asui and the invisible girl Hagakure were prime examples of that.
Yet, this ghost boy was unaffected by his Erasure and was still able to flux his Quirk.
Different varieties? It was hard to account for every type of Quirk and new ones kept popping up. Aizawa wondered if this was a new variant on the Quirk gene.
Or was it something else entirely?
He had been warned beforehand that there were a lot of unknowns about this kid and his Quirk, but seeing it in action and still not being able to be affected by his own Quirk was something quite different. He would have to pass on that bit of information back to the faculty.
Aizawa blinked the medicinal water into his burning eyes and focused his attention back on the students.
Whatever it was, it wasn't really something that was affecting the class or even Fenton. And the teacher felt it was something to get into another day. For now, he had a class to look after. And, more than that, a future generation to bring up.
…
After the small gathered commotion that was the aftermath of his race, Danny felt eager to see the results of the remaining races. Not just for the fact that he wanted to lessen the attention on himself (though he wasn't going to lie, that was part of the reason), but he was also excited to see what Quirks the rest of his class wielded.
The halfa had seen plenty of ghosts with various different abilities, but that was the thing. Seeing just normal people with powers that were on par or even rivaled some of the ghosts he had fought was something Danny had NEVER thought he would see. And, at this point, even with almost a year lived into this world, he doubted the sights of all of this would lessen on him.
And he wasn't proven otherwise as the rest of the races got underway.
Ashido and what she revealed to be her sliding acid abilities had steadily outpaced and outmaneuvered a smiling blonde boy during her race.
He wore a mechanized belt like device around his waist that Danny noted to ask where he got from. He imagined his Dad would have practically drooled over a device like that, outfitted to fight ghosts.
But it was powerful enough on its own, given the fact that it allowed the guy to clear almost half the track with one blast backwards. But that was all it provided him. And Ashido won as she laced her feet with a semi-clear slime and slid across the finish line with all the grace of an ice-skater in the rink.
Her score was lower than Danny's, but she still shot him with finger-guns and gave him a cheeky smile like "I'm coming for your score next."
The halfa smiled, glad to know there would be a lot more friendly competition then he expected. His worst fear was an uptight school with uptight students. Danny realized that really wouldn't be the case.
Kirishima unfortunately lost his own race, but it wasn't for bad time. In fact, the shark toothed boy scored pretty well. But, compared to who he was up against, he stood no chance.
A red-and-white haired boy with a prominent scar across his left eye had nonchalantly slammed his foot down on his side of the track, summoned a trail of ice and soared forward on that, skidding forward and quickly outpacing Kirishima in less then a second.
And the ice wasn't the only thing that carried a coldness around the guy.
He never said anything or even made an attempt to stick with the class afterwards. He had stuck to himself and stood a fair distance from the crowd. All the while, his ice cold stare kept anyone from approaching.
"Man, I didn't expect him to be that fast." Kirishima commented after the race, his hand behind his head in a bit of embarrassment.
"Neither did I," Danny replied, looking back at the distant winner. "One thing's for sure, he's pretty good with those ice abilities. Who is he?"
"Whoever he is," Sero added. "He doesn't seem to be a very talkative type."
With the way that the guy's cold stare fixated to something he couldn't see, Danny didn't argue with that. And the attention was focused back to the few races they had left.
Sero won against his racing opponent, the petite short and purple haired girl with plug-like earphone jacks hanging from her earlobes.
Honestly, Danny didn't know what to expect from a Quirk like that, but he did feel himself get tense when, mid-run, he could see them straighten and slink, almost like she was preparing to do something with them. And, given the fact that Sero picked up his own pace not even a moment after that, Danny knew he wasn't the only one who noticed.
But nothing came out of it as Sero took the lead and passed the finish line a few seconds before her, securing his win at 4.74 seconds.
The way the girl's eyes dropped slightly at that, Danny half expected her to be as cold and distant as the last competitor. Instead, she gave a half-smile to Sero and told him good job, which revitalized Danny's interest in his new classmates.
Any person who could just be nice in general during a PE class, Danny wanted to get to know.
The final race came down to Midoryia and Bakugo, which Danny felt his interest LOCK on. After hearing what Midoryia could do, he was really interested to see how the green haired boy would use his Quirk. Maybe a boost of strength to his legs in order to boost his speed. That was Danny's theory, at least.
The race was definitely not what Danny was expecting. First, in a more literal sense than before, the race started off with a bang.
Bakugo literally exploded forward with a cacophony of heat and smoke, tearing forward against Midoryia and taking the easy lead in front of the green haired boy as he yelped and fell behind under the assault of noise and light.
Danny expected Midoryia to retaliate with a kick from his Quirk, maybe try and gain the lead against the blonde-haired bully. But, to the halfa's surprise, Midoryia just kept his own slower pace as Bakugo easily rocketed ahead and past the finish line.
"4.13 seconds!" The bot called out, it's own volume increased just to be heard over the crack of fire and smoke from the blonde haired boy.
If Bakugo was happy with that score, he didn't show it. Instead, he scoffed and studied the smoke emanating from his hands as Midoryia crossed the finish line, smoke wafting from his slightly blackened uniform as he leaned over to catch his breath.
"7.02 seconds!" The bot called out. And Midoryia's features darkened, a spark of frustration and worry flitting in his eyes.
Danny felt more confused. Why hadn't Midoryia used his Quirk? Was he saving it? Unwilling to use it? Danny would have used his powers to beat that blonde-haired jerk in a heartbeat. Was he holding back?
Bakugo scoffed again at that score readout. And, without a word back to the green haired boy, turned his back to him and walked away, only pausing briefly to shoot another pointed glare at Danny while rotating his arms, almost like putting forward an unheard challenge.
As the smell of smoke and fire wafted behind the explosive bully as he walked past the ghost boy, Danny felt his fists clench once more at the same moment his stomach tightened. This guy was starting to get on his nerves.
Beside the halfa, Sero scratched his head. "Huh. I thought it would be closer than that. I thought Midoryia had a super strong Quirk."
"So did I," Danny responded as he watched Midoryia return to the group. "Maybe it needs to charge up?"
"He used it pretty easily before," Uraraka replied, her worried eyes never leaving Midoryia. "But it did hurt him a lot when he used it. He might be saving it for later."
Sero scowled. "Saving it? In this kind of test, that might not be the smartest way to play."
Danny shrugged, looking back to Sero. "We don't know anything about how his Quirk works. Maybe there's something to this."
"Kero. Fenton's right," Tsu croaked. "Midoryia was capable enough to take down a zero-pointer. There has to be a reason that he's taking this approach now."
What the reason was in his opinion, Danny couldn't be sure. But, as Aizawa stepped forward and beckoned the class to their next task, he couldn't help but feel his curiosity grow towards his new classmates.
…
Event Two: Grip Strength
Danny clutched his fingers around the small handheld device and released a breath. The next test was simple: clutch the grip strength machine and determine how strong you are.
Easy enough, thought Danny at first.
But, hearing the beeps of the machines and exclamations of those around him as many people exceeded what was normally superhuman strength, (Shoji managed a full 540 KG on the meter with all three arms attached, which made Danny glad he decided against a high five after the race) the halfa felt a little hesitant.
He knew his own strength, sure. But visually and physically, mostly. Based on this machine's stats, he wasn't sure if that strength would be considered average or weak.
But he also knew there was really only one way to find an answer to his question. So he clenched down with all of his strength.
The machine beeped within a second. And, as Danny brought it up, he had to keep himself from doing a double take.
907 KG.
Danny faltered for a moment before feeling himself smile. His strength definitely carried over effectively in this class.
He carried the result over to Aizawa, who gave it a small once over. The halfa half expected some kind of big reaction from the teacher. Instead, the black haired man gave a tired nod. "Good. Return to your classmates."
Danny, unsure of what to say for a moment, nodded. "Got it. Thank you, Aizawa."
He honestly wasn't sure what he had expected from their teacher. But it did make Danny wonder just how strong people were capable of getting in this world. And exactly how many near one-thousand KG test marks Aizawa had seen in his time.
Whatever the number, it had to be higher than the number of times the rest of the class had seen a number like that.
"WHOA! Holy crap!" Kirishima exclaimed as he caught a glimpse of the device readout. "Fenton hit nine-hundred and seven!"
Immediately, the rest of the class reacted, rushing to see for themselves the number that took the lead.
"Whoa!" Ashido exclaimed, her black eyes wide. "With that crazy strength, I'm surprised the machine didn't break!"
"…I would say I'm surprised," Sero began with a smile. "But based on the fact that getting hit by you feels like getting hit with five metal bats at the same time, I'm not as shocked as I thought I would be. But… I still didn't expect nine-hundred."
Then, to Danny's surprise, the stoic onyx eyed black haired girl spoke up. "Your strength is very admirable," She spoke in both a curious and impressed tone.
The halfa, feeling his own words jumble at the analyzing eyes of the tall, black haired beauty, nodded. "Thanks… for the praise… um…"
"Yaoyorozu." The girl said with confidence. "Yaoyorozu Momo." She regarded his score once more. "Alongside your speed, you've clearly put a lot of work into your Quirk."
"Enough to put me at a disadvantage." Shoji said, though there was a smile both physically and within his tone as he spoke.
Danny only smiled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Um… it's just all in the wrist really. No special training or anything."
The attention still felt very strange to the halfa, but he was getting more and more used to it. Still, it was startling how much of a difference he had at UA compared to Casper High. Startling enough that he almost missed the transition on Midoryia's expression from the back of the gym, from one of excitement to worry as he looked on at his own score readout.
…
Event Three: Standing Long Jump
With an intake of breath, the ghost boy felt himself lift almost effortlessly as his feet left the ground with one small jump.
He soared forward with almost no effort at all, his energy radiating across his body as he half-levitated, half-descended down the length of the Long Jump track. Usually, Danny wouldn't have been able to clear over six feet, to which he was constantly reminded of by Dash and his cronies.
Now, with his powers front and center, he didn't have to worry about that. And, with ease, the halfa landed at the white line signifying twelve feet, the maximum score.
Danny was actually feeling pretty good about himself. So far, he was three for three with scores.
But that only lasted so long, as Bakugo took full advantage of his Quirk and blasted himself forward and across the ENTIRETY of the track and well beyond, scoring well over sixteen feet. Which Danny watched in both shock and frustration. If he had KNOWN that they could go past the track as they pleased, he would have gone about his turn in a much different way.
But instead, he only watched as the blonde explosion thrower fixed him with an angry smile as he silently gloated.
Besides Bakugo, both Sero and the white and red haired boy made impressive scores as well (Which Sero made sure he knew VERY loudly in his signature way). And, while Danny was happy for them, it solidified in his mind how hard he would have to work when against his new classmates.
…
Event Four: Repeated Side Steps
This time, Danny climbed the ranks of the scoreboard once more, tapping into his ghost energy and speed, as well as his own training. He had dodged plenty of fast paced ghost attacks in the past using his own skills. This wouldn't be any different.
Harnessing what speed he could, the ghost boy bounced back and forth on his heels so quickly, he thought he might black out. But it was well worth it, given that Danny lost count of the amount of hops he was able to achieve in the end.
If only Dash could see me now, The ghost boy thought to himself with a smile.
…
Event Five: Ball Throw
ZWOOM
With a crack of ghost energy, Danny felt the ball rocket from his grasp and shoot into the air, propelled by both the force of his palm blast and the healthy coating of energy he had covered the entirety of the item in.
The results of using that energy were exactly what the halfa had hoped for, sending the ball soaring high above the school and well out of sight of any of his classmates, eventually disappearing within the distant clouds.
Satisfied, Danny let out a breath and turned to his teacher. Aizawa cocked an eyebrow towards the ghost boy and slowly held up his phone.
"706.7," Aizawa muttered. "One of the highest scores so far. Impressive." His tired eyes fixed on the halfa. "But don't get a big head about it. Return to the group. Uraraka, you're up."
Danny nodded and made his way back, but couldn't contain his smile as he returned. And it was because he couldn't help but admit that he was really enjoying this competitive game sense against his classmates.
He could have never even begun to imagine any kind of sports competition back in his own world that he could participate in, especially with his powers. But here… he felt he could really get into the game of things. Especially against certain people.
Speaking of which, he shot a look towards Bakugo as the blonde shot a heated glare right back, his fists clenched in obvious anger and his crossed arms tense, like he was trying to hold back from charging.
Danny only smiled as he made his way back to the class and took his place besides both Sero and Tsu, his attention back forward as Uraraka prepared herself for her throw.
He felt a firm slap on his back. "Nice throw, man!" Sero exclaimed. "Any more power and that ball would have left the atmosphere!"
Danny chuckled. "Any more and I would have probably passed out."
"Fair enough," The tape boy agreed. "But based on the angry looks you've been exchanging with Bakugo and the fact that I'd like to think I know you pretty well when it comes to people like that, I'd say you'd probably think it was worth it."
The halfa snorted as he rotated both arms to try and get the feeling back into them. "Well, you're not wrong there."
"Kero. If you're hoping to match head-to-head with Bakugo score wise," Tsu said, her finger to her chin as she regarded the ghost boy. "That throw probably puts you where you want to be. You scored really high on every test so far, always as well or just within Bakugo's score. I'd say you're probably at just about the same standing."
"Well that's good to hear," Danny said, shooting another sidelong glance at the explosive hotshot. "That guy seems like he has enough to gloat about. Better not give him something else."
Their conversation momentarily halted for a moment as Uraraka made her throw, dousing the ball in her hands with a pink glow before throwing it forward with a smile. The ball soared forward and gained momentum… or gained a lack of momentum, according to what Danny was seeing.
The small item continued to climb higher and higher into the air, eventually punching through a small cloud and making its way completely out of sight, vanishing into the vast blue sky. And maybe even past that.
Aizawa, expression as tired and readless as ever, slowly turned the phone in his palm, which proudly flashed a readout that Danny didn't think was possible.
"Infinity?!"
The halfa looked back up at the sky in momentary shock before whistling in admiration.
"That's definitely an effective way to use a zero gravity power, Uraraka." The ghost boy commented as she joined the class once more.
"Thank you!" The brown haired girl replied with a smile. "I've been practicing a lot with small objects since I was a kid. I'm just glad to see I could use that for something like this!"
Since she was a kid. Danny thought.
It was so surprising to him how LONG these people have had their powers.
He had gained his powers relatively recently and was STILL trying to figure out everything about them. Knowing that pretty much all of his classmates have had time to train with their powers since they were little… Danny still didn't know whether to be jealous or not.
"Can you send big things that high?" Danny asked, sparing a glance to the sky to make sure said object wasn't making a crash course back down.
"Well, not too much bigger…" Uraraka confessed, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. "And usually bigger things take a little more time to float up. And I usually… get sick if I float too much. Which doesn't help with my concentration. I'm hoping to train a bit more so I can handle more without falling apart."
"So if you train enough, you might be able to lift entire cars into the atmosphere without any effort?" Danny asked incredulously. At Uraraka's nod, the halfa mulled that possibility in his mind. He knew there would be some powerful Quirks in a class at UA. And he already knew about some of them. But hearing about ones like Uraraka's, ones with potential to become powerhouse powers… it got him even more excited about what he was going to see in the future. And what he could get inspired off of.
Suddenly, the girl perked up. "Oh! That boy is up next!"
Any mulling thoughts were pushed aside as Danny saw Midoryia slowly and nervously making his way to the front of the throwing line, his entire body shaking and his expression seemingly darkened with pure nerves. He definitely looked more than ready to take a page from Uraraka's book and puke.
This entire time, Danny had been waiting to see Midoryia break out his power and take the lead on any of the last four events. He had heard a lot of hype about it from both Kirishima and Ashido and looked forward to seeing how powerful this nervous kid could be.
But, so far, the green haired boy had remained quiet on that front, keeping to his own physical power and the scores resulting from that, which weren't very good. If he was holding back, it was odd to Danny that he wouldn't have used it by now. He had to have something, right?
It became clear he wasn't the only one who shared this opinion, as Iida, a few people off to his side, spoke up. "Midoryia isn't doing very well. It's certainly a change from the end of the Entrance Exam."
"His Quirk was super strength, right?" Sero asked from Danny's other side. "It's weird he hasn't used it at all yet. There were a few tests that would have been handy."
"Kero. Maybe his Quirk has a different aspect to it." Tsu offered. "Are we sure it's solely strength?"
"Well, maybe," Uraraka quietly relented. But her brown eyes sparked in determination. "But the way he knocked down that zero pointer and saved me… I know he's strong."
"I'm not doubting that," Danny said, looking back at the boy as he prepared to throw. "He got into UA for a reason, after all. I'm just wondering why he's not willing to let it out."
At the end of the line, he heard Bakugo chuckle darkly.
"You extras," He sneered. "Trying to guess Deku's Quirk when that Quirkless hero loser wannabe doesn't have one! It's a mistake he's even at UA! And I'm glad to hear they'll kick out that pathetic little runt soon enough!"
Danny felt his hand clutch into a fist. I swear, this guy is just asking to be hit.
With that, they all watched as Izuku Midoryia clenched his fingers around the ball and his expression changed into one of nervous determination, the same the ghost boy had seen on him when they had talked earlier in the day.
With a breath, the green haired boy swung his arm back in a long throw stance, like he was prepared to chuck the thing halfway across the entirety of Japan.
As Danny watched, he swore he saw a bubble of air force travel across the boy's arm and meet at his hand. And the halfa thought that he was about to see the Quirk that got a large amount of the class talking.
Midoryia swung forward with all of his might and energy, and sent the item soaring… for all of a few feet before it plopped dead to the ground.
"46 meters."
The halfa heard a bark of laughter from Bakugo, but he didn't pay it much attention. Rather, he was trying to figure out what just happened with that flash and seemingly no result.
And he wasn't the only one trying to figure that out.
Midoryia was in complete shock, his eyes wide and his once determined look replaced with utter horror. From the looks of it, he had expected something to happen just as much as the rest of the class. But, in the end, it seemed like whatever power he had had been halted completely.
"Huh…?" Midoryia half moaned, half stuttered, his horrified realization evident within every word. "But… I was trying to use it… how…?"
"I erased it."
The entire class turned in shock as their home room teacher advanced on Midoriya, his voice now deadly calm. The rags that once hung loosely across his body were now floating around him, matching his long hair as it stood up like he was in the middle of a windstorm.
His once tired eyes were open, which was hyper focused on the form of Midoriya. And his laxidasical expression was now replaced with a steel frown as he spoke to the green haired boy.
"That ridiculous Entrance Exam…" He growled in contempt as he closed in. "Completely irrational when you consider someone like you got in."
"Erased?!" The green haired boy echoed in shock. Then his eyes widened in realization. "Those goggles… of course! You're the Erasure Hero, Eraserhead!"
Immediately, there was a murmur among the class. Some were in surprise, others were in confusion.
"Erasure Hero?" Danny asked quietly. "Eraser of what?"
"I think I've heard his name before!" Sero piped up. "He's an angler-type hero with the ability to temporarily stop Quirks! He's been known to take down some of the worst with just his bare fists!"
The halfa looked back to their teacher, who's glare had never left the shocked Midoryia.
"Able to erase Quirks?! Even if it is temporary, he can just shut down someone's powers?"
The halfa thought back to when he thought his own powers were gone and how terrifying that had been for him. Imagining that fully weaponized for a person made Danny realize just how dangerous Aizawa could be. As if the red veined eyes and snake-like scarf weren't enough already.
Aizawa seemingly ignored the chatter of the class, keeping his attention solely on his target. "I saw it. How you can't control your Quirk. You'd just be incapacitated again." His frown deepened. "Were you hoping someone would step in to help afterwards? Assist the hero in need?"
"N-No!" Midoryia stuttered, his nervousness skyrocketing under the gaze of his teacher. "It's not like that! I… GAH!"
He didn't even get to explain himself further before the scarf lunged forward and wrapped around him with a tight crack.
"Whatever you were planning," Aizawa seethed as Midoryia was pulled slightly closer. "It would have inconvenienced those around you. Way back when, a certain hot blooded hero saved over a thousand people during a disaster. He made himself a legend. You've got the same restless streak, but you are totally useless after saving just a single person."
Useless? Danny looked back to the scared Midoriya. He… only gets one use out of his Quirk?
As Danny watched and as Midoryia's resolve seemingly crumbled at their teacher's words, Aizawa delivered what he said next with conviction and absolute certainty.
"Midoryia Izuku, you cannot become a hero with that power of yours."
And just like that, a palpable atmosphere settled across the area as all of the students looked on, unsure of what to do or say.
Finally, after a moment of silence, Aizawa sighed at the same moment he lowered his gaze. His hair settled back to its usual ruffled look as he pulled his scarf and loosened the bonds around Midoriya, who looked to be on the bounds of both utter humiliation and hopelessness.
"You've got your Quirk back," The teacher muttered as he walked back to his spot. "Give it another go. Let's get this over with."
After a moment, Midoryia slinked back to his original spot, expression dark and stooped in thought.
"… Even for a lesson, that was really harsh," Danny spoke, breaking the awkward silence that they had all been in.
"It really was," Mina agreed. "I hope Midoryia's okay after all that."
Danny nodded, but his mind went back to the entire conversation that had played out in front of them. He turned to Uraraka, who was in the middle of making awkward conversation with the purple eyed blonde haired boy.
"Uraraka, does Midoryia really only get one shot with his Quirk?"
"Well… I don't know for sure, but he got really hurt after he punched the robot. He broke his arm and both legs right after he did it." She pursed his lips. "His Quirk definitely hurts him." She clenched her fists. "But that doesn't mean he can't still be strong!"
Sero winced. "Whoa, really?!" He gave the boy a look of concern. "If his Quirk hurts him that much, he shouldn't use it!"
"...He doesn't look like he would agree with that." Ashido mentioned, pointing forward.
Sure enough, and to Danny's surprise, there was a spark of intense determination replacing the once present frustration in Midoryia's eyes. And he watched as the green haired boy stood straight and seemingly clutched the ball with nervous conviction.
The same nervous conviction Danny had when he first got his powers back, like he knew he wasn't good enough for any of this. But, regardless, he was still willing to try.
Danny understood that completely. And he knew why Midoryia stood up in spite of his teacher's words to him.
Around the side, the halfa heard yet another scoff from Bakugo.
"What's that loser doing?" He growled. "He should just save himself the trouble and go home."
Tsu croaked in concern, pointedly ignoring the blonde's comment. "Kero. If his Quirk hurts him so badly, he shouldn't risk his body on this throw. It could take him out of the class entirely if he hurts himself too much."
"… Maybe," Danny replied, looking back out towards the main grounds, unaware that he had caught the full attention of the group once more. "But he wants to be a hero like the rest of us, right? And, no matter how much it may hurt him…" The halfa thought back to his conversation with the green haired boy. And to his own drive. "He wants to at least try with his chance. And, honestly, that's something I can get behind."
Uraraka smiled. "It is, isn't it?" She echoed with a bright shine in her eyes. And suddenly, she was calling out. "You got this, Midoryia! Show off that strength!"
"Yes!" Iida yelled out, alongside the girl. "We know what you can do! Show it proudly!"
"Yeah, man!" Kirishima echoed.
"You got this!" Mina cried.
Danny stood, stunned. He didn't expect to get a reaction like that. And it was the same for Midoryia, as he turned in a bit of shock of his own.
Once he saw a small group of his friends were cheering for him, Danny saw a bit of the uneasiness leave his expression. And, as Midoryia's gaze drifted to the ghost boy, Danny smiled and gave the green haired boy a nod.
Midoryia, a thankful smile tugging at his lips, turned back to the test and prepared himself as Aizawa watched lackadaisical from the sidelines.
"What strength, you idiots?!" Bakugo laughed. "That quirkless wannabe doesn't have anything!"
Danny turned to him in frustrated anger. "You did see that buildup before he threw, right? And everyone is talking about his strength. I'm pretty sure he has a Quirk. And, even if he didn't, so what? He still got into UA, right? That makes him on the same level as the rest of us!"
"You're delusional, you damn extra." The blonde sneered (which Danny got the feeling was commonplace for this guy). "Ever since day one, he's been nothing but a weakling. Doesn't even have the guts to-!"
Whatever the bully was going to say, it was lost in what could only be described as a crack of thunder and wind and a kick of dust and sand across the entire area.
The ball that was launched from Midoryia's hand travelled with the force of a cannon, cracking clouds apart and breaking through the sky with a soar of sound and propulsion. Gasps peppered across the class as they witnessed this burst of power. And even Aizawa looked shocked at what he just witnessed.
But all of that was nothing compared to the score readout present on the device.
"705.7!" Danny gasped. "Holy crap! I knew he was strong, but this strong?!"
"Aizawa sensei…" Midoryia called out. He looked up to his teacher, a smile across his expression and sweat across his brow as he clenched his fist. One of his fingers was now swollen and purple, but it did nothing to detract from the outright determination and joy across the boy's expression. "I… can still move!"
Aizawa, who's expression had been set to a grim and tired determination, suddenly looked at the green haired boy with far more interest. And, despite the exhaustion in his eyes, he smirked. "This kid…"
Beside him, Uraraka cheered. "Woo! Now that's a hero-like score! I knew he could do it!"
Iida, ever the worrier, only stopped in thought. "His fingers appear to be swollen. Thinking back to the Entrance Exam… what a strange Quirk."
"Strange, but strong as hell!" Kirishima exclaimed, delighted. "Midoryia's a real powerhouse!"
"With that kind of power, it's pretty obvious how he took down that zero-pointer!" Sero added with a laugh. "That thing probably stood no chance!"
"Yeah," Danny agreed, still trying to wrap his head around the pure power that Midoryia had. "Man, bad guys aren't going to stand a chance with him around. It's one shot, but it's one effective shot."
Suddenly, a growl emanated seemingly across the area, followed by an explosion that ripped through the air so fast and loud, Danny felt his body go cold.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" The voice of Bakugo roared to life as he tore away from the group and raced at Midoriya with an anger that Danny could feel from a distance. "EXPLAIN YOURSELF, DEKU!"
Midoryia gave a cry of alarm, but seemed utterly rooted to his spot as the explosion thrower closed the distance rapidly, smoke and fire pouring from his palms.
Danny, without hesitation, took a few steps forward and raised his palm, preparing himself to shoot forward. "What are you doing?!"
However, before either Danny or Bakugo could make their move, their teacher struck first.
Immediately, the cracking whip of the scarf sounded at the same moment the white object wrapped around both Bakugo's waist and the top of his head, pulling him back with enough force for him to let out a snarling choking sound.
"What the…" He growled. "This cloth… it's stiff… What the hell is this?!"
"It's a 'capture weapon' made of carbon fiber and a special alloy wire." Aizawa muttered as he pulled Bakugo back and away from Midoriya. "Geez. Stop using your Quirk already. I'm getting dry eye over here."
Their teacher's eyes were open once more and focused on Bakugo, meeting the blonde boy's savage snarl with a very unhappy frown.
"And you, Fenton," The teacher called out to the startled ghost boy. Danny didn't expect conversation, given that his gaze was still affixed to the blonde. "You yourself almost crossed me. Never engage in a situation that your teacher can handle. Got it?"
Danny frowned at that. He was only trying to keep the guy from outright killing Midoryia. But he nodded. "Yes, Aizawa sensei. Sorry."
The teacher sighed and, after allowing a few moments for Bakugo to finally calm, he released his bindings and Quirk on the violent youth.
"What a waste of time. Prepare for the next event."
As Aizawa walked away, Danny kept both eyes on Bakugo. For a second, he was afraid that the blonde would make a second shot for Midoryia. Or him.
The green haired boy had already made his way back to the class, clutching his wounded hand and blushing as Uraraka approached to check on him, alongside a good amount of the class.
Bakugo just stood there for a moment, his eyes flaring with murderous intent and his fists burning with smoke.
Eventually, with an animal-like snarl, he whirled around and returned to his spot at the far end of everybody, ignoring any attempts to talk to him.
Danny shot the blonde one last glare before moving back towards Sero and Tsu, not wanting to crowd the already nervous Midoryia.
"Jeez," Sero said as the ghost boy approached. "A few seconds later on Aizawa's part, we would have had one explosive fight on our hands between you two." He smiled. "All money on you, Fenton, by the way. He literally wouldn't see you coming."
"I'm glad to see that it didn't escalate into a fight," Tsu commented. "It wouldn't have made the best first impression on the first day to UA to get into a scuffle. Even if it is with a loud violent person."
"Oh no," Danny replied with a laugh. "I genuinely agree with you, Tsu. A fight was the last thing I wanted. I just wanted to make sure he, you know, didn't blow up our friends on short notice either."
Tsu nodded with a smile. "Kero. From what I've seen of Bakugo so far, it's a fair concern."
Honestly, the halfa would have preferred to keep away from any rivalries. After his time with Dash at Casper High, he felt he would be fine with just keeping to a smooth school experience (or as smooth as one can get at a superhero school).
But Bakugo… was NOT making that easy. And Danny had the distinct feeling it was far from over.
…
The rest of the tests passed without too much incident, with Danny taking a little more of an active lead as, after what he witnessed Bakugo do in the long jump, he wasn't risking another upset against the bully and poured more energy into his endeavors.
By the end, it did play a special kind of sore on his limbs, but he did place high on all the remaining exams, which was worth it in the end.
The same, however, couldn't be said about Midoriya. Ever since the Ball Throw event, the green haired boy had kept his Quirk wrapped, using only his own physical strength to score on the exams. Of course, the ghost boy couldn't blame him much.
Given that Midoryia had broken his finger last time he had used his power, it made sense that a certain amount of caution was needed when it came to using it again. But the fact that the lowest score would be expelled hung heavy in Danny's mind.
He had really only known the shy boy for less then a day, but he didn't want to see him go. Especially by expulsion when, by what the halfa had seen, Midoryia was absolutely driven to become the best hero he could manage.
Danny continually hoped that maybe the green haired boy could manage to squeak out of last place by some margin. But the scores being sounded off didn't give the ghost boy a lot of hope.
Finally, after about an hour or so of exercises, the class gathered in front of Aizawa once more.
Once they were sufficiently quiet, their teacher spoke. "Okay. The exercises have been completed. Time for the results."
Immediately, there was a quiet wave that rippled through the class as a whole. One giant bundle of nerves and nervous energy that radiated from a majority of the group.
Midoryia looked like he was on the verge of passing out, balling his hands into tight fists and keeping his eyes shut so tight, Danny was surprised they weren't watering.
"Your total scores simply reflect your performance in each of the events." Aizawa continued. "Explaining the process would be a waste of time, so all you get are the final rankings."
Without wasting a moment, the teacher pressed on a small remote in his hand, illuminating a holographic scoreboard that Danny's tech mind couldn't help but be a little impressed by.
But bigger matters called his attention. And he focused his gaze on the score in front of him.
Danny Fenton
Momo Yaoyorozu
Shoto Todoroki
Katsuki Bakugo
Iida Tenya
Fumikage Tokoyami
Mezo Shoji
Mashirao Ojiro
Ejiro Kirishima
Mina Ashido
Ochako Uraraka
Hanta Sero
Tsuyu Asui
Koji Koda
Yuga Aoyama
Denki Kaminari
Kyoka Jiro
Toru Hagakure
Minoru Mineta
Izuku Midoriya
Seeing his name at the top of the list, Danny let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding and felt his own excitement course through once more. Top score in the class? It was definitely an improvement from his dealings with school previously.
He heard Sero clap. "First place! Nice job, Fenton! I knew I was going to be behind you, but I'm glad to see I made it higher on the list than I expected!" He grinned his cheshire grin. "Give me a few months and we'll see how much closer I can get to your score, Fenton!"
Danny shot him a mock glare, but looked at Tsu with a smile. "Also, great job to you too, Tsu! You scored pretty well!"
The frog girl smiled. "Kero. Thank you and congratulations, Fenton. I'm just glad to see that I can keep up with all of your amazing Quirks."
"Yours is amazing as well, Tsu," Sero commented. "Don't forget that. And keep that in mind as we climb this list!"
In between the half-humored, half-relieved laughs of his friend, Danny looked to the bottom of the list and felt his heart sink. He turned to the boy in question, who had his now open eyes turned away in what could only be described as pure despair.
"Midoriya…" Danny heard himself say. "This doesn't mean…"
"It's… okay…" He replied, a steady shake to his voice as he spoke. "It's fine… you all deserve…"
"And I was lying. No one is getting expelled."
"… WHAAAAAAAAAT?!"
This time, the entirety of the class harmonized as one, the flabbergasted tones of them all echoing through the yard.
"That was a rational deception," Aizawa emphasized with a dry smile. "Meant to bring out the best in you."
Danny's jaw would have hit the floor of it wasn't for the fact that he was trying to keep the shocked white swaying Midoriya from hitting the floor. All of that stress and worry… was all for a test?!
"Well of course it was a lie," Yaoyorozu spoke up, looking at the rest of the class in genuine confusion. "I'm sorry. I should have said something…"
Danny gave the girl a dry smile. "Yeah, that would have been very helpful."
"It was to get you all to test at your full potential. And I'd say it was a success." Their tired teacher flicked another button on the remote and the image vanished as he turned and began walking back towards the main building. "Anyway, we're done here. Your documents about the curriculum and such are back at the classroom. Give them a look. Oh, and Midoriya."
The strength user snapped out of his daze at the mention of his name, allowing Danny to let him stand on his own.
Aizawa looked back towards him, a signed note in his hand. "Have Recovery Girl fix you up. Tomorrow's trials aren't going to be any easier."
Midoriya nodded and took the paper, still seemingly too shock to speak. And, with that, the teacher of 1-A made his way fully and quietly back into the main buildings.
Danny waited for a moment before turning back to Midoryia and offering him a friendly smile. "Congratulations, Midoryia! I know it wasn't the best score and all, but you still have a powerful Quirk and you're still at UA. I would call both a win."
Midoryia's face still seemed so locked up for a moment. Long enough for the half to consider bringing Recovery Girl there. But his expression soon ebbed into a relieved smile.
"Y-Yeah. You're right. I'm still here and that's what matters." Midoryia then turned fully to the ghost boy. "O-oh! And thank you! For supporting me during the Ball Throw!"
Danny smiled as they began to follow the rest of the guys to the boys locker room. "You don't need to thank me for that. We're both at UA, aren't we? We're both after the same goal. No reason we can't help each other." He gave the freckled boy a look. "Speaking of which, you need any help carrying stuff or anything on the way to the nurse? That finger… does not look well."
"O-oh, don't worry about it!" Midoryia retorted with a nervous smile. "I can carry my items just fine. I'll be able to find my way there! Thank you though!"
"Okay," The ghost boy nodded. "Just wanted to make sure. The way Uraraka was describing your Quirk… sounds a bit self-destructive. And looks like it, based on what I've seen."
"W-well it is to a degree," Midoryia admitted as he raised his palm in self-study. "But, as long as I can control and center it, I should be able to reduce the damage of the energy output. Once I get the chance, I should be able to study it more and…" All at once, he shot a surprised look at Danny, his face going red once more. "W-wait, that girl was talking about me?!"
Danny chuckled. "Are you surprised? You punched a giant robot in front of her and saved her life. Both her and Iida were pretty impressed by that super strength punch of yours."
Midoriya blushed further. "W-Well, in the moment, I did what I could. And, really, my Quirk isn't that much stronger than some of the others."
"Well, I think that if the ball you sent into the stratosphere could talk, I think it would definitely say otherwise," Danny replied. "I think you're pretty damn strong already, Midoryia. And, now that we're in UA, we can only get stronger, right?"
Midoryia looked unsure for a moment before he smiled and nodded firmly, a look of determination in his eyes once more.
And, as Midoryia moved ahead in order to change fast and get to the nurse with a quick nod of thanks and goodbye towards Fenton, the ghost boy felt his own determination rise once more.
One step of tests down, many more to go. It wouldn't be easy, he knew that for sure. But, with the people he's met so far at his side, it definitely wouldn't be a drag.
That was another thing the ghost boy could say with absolute confidence.